police scanners post Digital 800

[LaunchPad]

Now what guys?

I was stuck sitting in traffic in a VERY rural area the othe night for 45 minutes- no clue what was going on and it got me to thinking that i should start investing in police scanners for all the vehicals so that the family can avoid such situations even more importantly for the SHTF type things.

So - i figure i would check out what is up in the police scanner area. nada. it seems the emergency services do not like people listening in to them. it does not bode well for the future!!

The new standard seems to be digital 800 mhz. anyone here know much about it or how we would listen to emergency services anyway??

what equipment do we need? What kind of cost is it? you know, ALL the details for a non- ham inclinded person.

[DV8]

A Great thread. I listened in on a scanner when I lived in the city, and I had a site that listed the frequencies for some of the states, as well as had some streaming scanners on the 'net.

Try this link. it has alot of info here for the novice or expert alike:

http://www.police-scanner.info/police-scanner-frequencies.htm

Enjoy
~DV8

[LaunchPad]

Thanks!

That was the site i start my hunt with earlier today. I was getting a little frustrated because all the things we used to be able to listen to have now gone over to "the dark side". what options do we as average Joes have to re-establish what used to be simple?

I'll keep checking links on that site but it lloks like most states are now blank! :o

[LaunchPad]

seems they want it against the law to listen.

I might be going out on a limb here but that is not something i think they should be able to do. so be it- lawless i will be if i have to design a board from scratch!

just need to work that in to my projectlist- that could last several lifetimes!!!

http://www.scancat.com/scanarcy.html

[12vman]

Bearcat makes a nice scanner to listen to the digital stuff but it's kinda pricey.. >:(

http://www.police-scanner.info/

[DV8]

If you're going to try to build your own, this site may help. you should see all the "hacks" real people are doing to equiptment. I bet if you emailed this guy & asked about scanner hacks (is one there now) he could provide you with an abundance of resources !!!

http://www.hackaday.com/

PeAcE
~DV8

[DV8]

Also this is a cool site. look at the right side & you can Search the FCC Frequency Database:


http://www.nationalradiodata.com/scanner-frequencies-home.jsp

Maybe something useful here ?

[DavidOH]

Yes, I've noticed the switch from the scannable (open) frequencies to digital signals.
Makes my old equipment obsolete. >:(

However!!! Most rural departments won't have it in their budget to upgrade for a while. ;)

[eaglelover]

Better check your state laws about a police scanner in a motor vehicle. Almost all states do not allow them unless you meet certain requirements. If you are an Amatuer radio operator you can get away with it. :)

[JakeLeg]

i've got two Radio Shack Pro-97 radios. they are handheld walkie-talkie type that hold 1000 channels and have triple trunking technology. the 3 counties around here that i am most concerned with (home county, work county and adjacent county) all use the analog transmission so i don't need the new digital tech.

one radio i keep in my jacket so it goes in the truck and to work. the other is a dedicated home radio that stays in the office, but could go with me if the other breaks.

i have found it to be EXTREMELY useful and it has helped on numerous occaisions in helping me be pre-warned about accidents on my normal route home. also, there was flash flooding near work back in the fall and it helped guide me to pick up my wife, by my listening to the fire departments respond to flooded interesctions.

many of the newer models - digital and analog - allow you to keep a database on the computer and then upload the data to the scanner. this is extremely useful since i can surf websites like http://www.radioreference.com to get my frequencies, keep them stored, sort the channels accordingly, and assign the proper alphanumeric names to each channel without having to use the radio's keypad, which would take forever for the several hundred channels i keep.

radio shack has a "mobile" model called the pro2055 that i'll probably get to use as a base station. i like this one because with a 1/8" mono cable, i can directly clone one of the pro97s to the pro2055. i also like these models because they have all 7 NOAA bands programmed in, and i can set a warning tone if my county issues a NOAA warning. my pro97 also has HAM 2-meter bands pre-programmed in (a band that some HAMs use to repeat emergency broadcasts), as well as CB channels, marine/air channels, and a few others pre-programmed, in addition to the 1000 user channels. the pro97 normally retails at 199 bucks, but i got mine at 149 when they went on sale.

both radio shack and uniden have digital models that use the newer technology as far as i know. to the best of my knowlege, these models can be had for maybe 350-400 dollars on sale. a bit pricey, but "what price for security"?

[LaunchPad]

Thanks Jake,


Sounds like you have the low down on the analog stuff.

Are you planning on getting into the digital equipment anytime soon?

[DaNgEr_KiTtY]

when i was a kid i got a clock radio with tv sound one year for xmas. i guess in the boredom that goes along with having to go to bed at 8pm as a 12 year old i found a frequency between chan 2-3.....about 2.74 where i could pick up the police. i think police analog is on uhf or vhf or something but anyway it was boring most of the time but crazy at other times. heard a lot of wild things & one night i heard a call at an address where i delivered the newspaper. the next morning i saw a pool of blood in the hall of the apts. i recommend this for anyone that likes to have wacky nightmares. today i almost dont want to hear what is going on.

[StatHaldol]

Hello,
My wife and I both grew up with scanners. We have a Pro 97 for the house and a PRO-2096 for the home. We find them VERY useful during bad weather. The local law enforcement officers talk about local weather conditions (tornadoes, flooding, high winds) and we get a more up to date view of what's going on in our area.
Our state police used "trunked" frequencies and you need a trunked scanner to listen to them. Our local police still use the regular frequencies.
Some people are discouraged about the difficulty of programming scanners. Some of the newer ones can be programmed by Radio Shack from their computer.
In my opinion, if you want a scanner to use in your auto, the reception is a little better if you have an antenna mounted on the outside of the vehicle.
It's been a lot of help on trips, listening to traffic and weather conditions.
It's a good hobby!
Good luck!
Mike in Louisiana

[Gunnywag]

You might try this one-

www.freqofnature.com

Although it is Calif based I've gotten lots of info from it.

[Tuckahoe]

I have a scanner in my pickup that I bought on sale at RS for $35 a couple of years ago. The county sheriff and police went to an 800meg trunking system.
My old scanner will still pick up the weather service (which I like very much) and the fire department and EMS which is about all I need.
I live in NC and it is legal here to have a scanner in your vehicle.
If I were looking for a new scanner I would go check out the local RS store. I have been buying scanners from RS from 1975 to today first one was a Patrolman Pro 77A still have it and it still works.